Well, the race has come and gone. It was amazing fun! We got up at 6:30 this morning, the whole family. The race was about 1.5 hours away and we got their a little early so I could get warmed up. Our friend Greg Bargo met us up there. This was also Greg's first race. Greg rode cross country with Ride:well 2 summers ago, so he shares my passion for Africa and clean water & blood. He has also biked across parts of Africa while doing missions work and meeting with government officials there about the prevention of malaria. You can learn more about him and what he does at http://www.onebloodinitiative.org/
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The weather was around 50 degrees, and the wind was blowing hard, b/t 18 and 20 mph. The race started promptly at 9:15. I got off to a terrible start b/c my foot slipped while trying to clip into my pedal, but I was able to stay onto the back of the group and not get too far behind.
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The race was much harder then I expected. The pace was very high, it started high and they never slowed down. I eventually fell off the back with some others, sometimes riding by myself and sometimes riding with 3 or 4 of others. Which was much easier then being alone, especially when there was a headwind or crosswind. I rode a few miles with a guy who races for LSU (one of his teammates finished 2d). Go SEC! I was able to tell him a little bit about Ride:well also. Greg and I were both in our Ride:well jerseys, so that was very cool.
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What I learned: Riding around that many people, going that fast, is pretty scary. So I need to do more grouping riding to get used to that. I also need to practice clipping in faster. And that I really enjoy racing, that it is a fun, crazy challenge and I love it.
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The numbers: 40 minutes, 13.3 miles, 19mph avg, 27mph top speed, 18 laps, 38th place out of 52 racers.
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Now for all you who sponsored me or would still like to donate at this time. 1st, thanks you for your support! 2d, just scroll back up and follow the instructions under the 'How to Donate' section.
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Thanks again to all my supporters and a special thank you to Sherri, Christian, Dylan, Trinity, Devin, and Justin for getting up early to come and watch.
I'm typing this at work and it won't let me upload any pictures. So I will add some pictures later tonight or tomorrow.
Congratulations, it sounds like you did great for your first criterium, especially after your start. I'll make our donation today.
ReplyDeleteThere is an annual crit here in Athens -- this year is the 30th anniversary -- so we have witnessed how scary those races can be. The pro racers pass you going so incredibly fast, and there is always some big crashes. It takes place right in downtown Athens, and it is called Twilight because the pro races start after dark. Here is a link: http://www.athenstwilight.com They do have amateur races, so maybe you could come race it one year, or it is a lot of fun to just watch, so you could come watch it with us.
We love you. Congratulations again.